Great Malvern Priory has been awarded almost £700,000 by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to conserve its unique collection of English Medieval stained-glass windows and improve facilities for visitors.
The £695,362 development funding will kickstart the Priory’s Project Light and Space and will enable the church to progress their plans to apply for a full National Lottery grant of £8.5M at a later date. The two-year Development Phase will see planning and preparatory work take place for conserving the Priory’s precious medieval stained glass and architecture and engaging visitors and volunteers.
Malvern Priory’s Medieval stained glass is of international significance. It is the largest and finest collection in any parish church and shows the development of style and technique in stained glass across 70 years from 1430 - 1501-2 as well as providing a unique insight into the belief and spirituality of Medieval people. Without this funding from the Heritage Fund to conserve and protect the stained glass as well as stonework and roofs, this precious heritage could be lost for ever.
The Revd Roger Latham, the Vicar of Great Malvern Priory said: “We are thrilled to have received this initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players we can now develop our plans to conserve our unique heritage, bringing it to life for the visitors of today and preserving it for generations to come.”
Should full funding be secured, Project Light and Space will add new facilities for visitors, working with architects Purcell. These include improved accessibility, interpretation, a hospitality area and much-needed new toilets. Insensitive alterations inside the building will be removed, so that the architecture can be fully appreciated and become accessible to all.
An Activity Plan will be drawn up using this initial funding to bring the Priory’s heritage to life for new audiences, including schools and young people and will encourage new and under-represented audiences to engage with the Priory. There will be opportunities for volunteers to get involved and develop their skills. The Project aims to increase the number of visitors to the church, which in turn will bring economic benefits to the Priory as well as to Malvern and beyond.
The long-term goal of this transformative project is to put the building, the site’s biodiversity and the community that cares for it on a better footing for the future. It will be an opportunity to reduce the Priory’s carbon footprint, improving the building’s energy efficiency and installing heat pumps to replace the existing gas boiler. The churchyard, an oasis of nature in the centre of the town, will also benefit from enhancements to encourage biodiversity.
Liz Bates, Director, England, Midlands & East at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, this transformational work getting underway will put Great Malvern Priory on a solid footing for the future: caring for precious medieval heritage and better equipping the Priory to welcome everyone. We’re delighted to award £695,362 to Great Malvern Priory as we celebrate the milestone of awarding £2bn of National Lottery and other funding for projects across the Midlands & East of England.”
Follow the progress of Project Light and Space and find out how you can be involved on the Priory website: www.greatmalvernpriory.org.uk
